Franklin

By: Gage Benson

Franklin

By: Gage Benson

Summary of Franklin's Tale

There once was a man named Arveragus. He as a brave and strong knight. He marries a young and beautiful woman named Dorigen. They agree to always treat each other fairly and with trust. One day Arveragus goes off to battle and Dorigen gets very depressed. While she is by herself she often sits on the beach and just stares at the beach. One day she goes on a picnic with her friends where she sees Aurelius who seems to have everything going for him. He is wealthy, handsome, and strong. Aurelius is in love with Dorigen but she does not know. He finally tells her but she rejects him. She finally says that she will love him if he can take all of the rocks off the beach which she see as an impossible task. Aurelius then becomes very sick and goes home to his brother. His brother tells him about someone that knows magic so Aurelius goes to the man who knows magic and asks him to clear all the rocks off the beach and Aurelius will give him 1000 pounds. The man does it and Aurelius asks Dorigen for her hand in love. She does not know what to do and she contemplates suicide. Right after Arveragus comes home from war. Dorigen tells Arveragus the story and he says she must keep her promise. Dorigen then tells Aurelius what Arveragus says and he tells her to go back to him because of how noble Arveragus was. When Aurelius goes to pay the magic man he sees he does not have enough gold. But because Aurelius did not get what he wanted the magic man did not make Aurelius pay.

Background on Franklin

The franklin is a very wealthy man who enjoys the finer things in life. He also enjoys good companionship and owns a lot of land. He is known for his love for food. He is know as one of the last "good people".

Moral of the Tale and What it Reveals About Franklin

There could be a couple different morals taken from the story. In my opinion the biggest moral of the story here is that honesty is the best policy. Everybody makes mistakes so Dorigen made a mistake with Aurelius. Although it could be argued why she made her choice because her husband was gone for so long, it is still a mistake. But instead of lying about it to Arveragus she was honest and he wasn't happy about it but he was pleased she told the truth. Then when Aurelius didn't have enough money to pay the magic man he could have ran or hidden and not paid him but instead he was honest and all his debts were cleared. It shows how powerful the truth can be. It also proves that the Franklin is still a "good guy" because he values honesty.

One Thing I Researched

One thing I researched was marriage of the 14th century. It was taken very seriously. It is very different from today so it was important that I researched it. Today people are cheated on and divorces happen all the time. But back in the 14th century adultery was a very serious crime and if one committed adultery they were ridiculed and punished severely. So when Dorigen was thinking of suicide and some readers might think that suicide is a bit extreme, it is now more understandable why she would think that.

Five Vocabulary Words

Sovereignty-Having supreme power or authority

Amiss-Improper;wrong;faulty

Forbearance-An abstaining from the enforcement of a right

Servitude-Slavery or bondage of any kind

Precipitous-Extremely or impassably steep

Essential Question

Is leaving a loved one for a long period of time with little contact more important that the loved ones feeling?

If the two agree to treat each other fairly and with respect, does leaving for two years follow that?